Roads: Snow and Ice

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the amount of salt provided by the Highways Agency to Gloucestershire county council during the recent snowfall; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Clark: holding answer 10 February 2009
	It is for local authorities to determine levels of salt necessary for their winter maintenance programme as set out in the UK Roads Board's (voluntary) code of practice on highways maintenance management, Well-maintained Highways. The Highways Agency provided 550 tonnes of road salt to Gloucestershire county council under the mutual aid scheme on 8 February 2009.

Roads: Snow and Ice

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what process his Department uses to  (a) monitor the level of salt available for road treatment and  (b) estimate future road salt requirements.

Paul Clark: holding answer 12 February 2009
	It is for Local Authorities to determine levels of salt necessary for their winter maintenance programme as set out in the UK Roads Board's (voluntary) code of practice on highways maintenance management, Well-maintained Highways. For the trunk road network, the Highways Agency has in place long established procedures which require salt stock capability reporting on a daily basis between 1 October and 30 April. Salt stock requirements are ascertained from a combination of longer term weather forecast
	information and records of salt usage. Salt capability is expressed as the number of treatment days available based on six treatments per day at 20gm/m2—the level of treatment typical for snow conditions. A weekly summary is produced which gives an overview of salt stocks and provides advance warning when salt stocks are approaching a critical level.
	As a result of the recent severe weather, central government, the Local Government Association and the Highways Agency have been working together to provide daily advice to suppliers on the most effective distribution of available salt supplies in order to minimise the risk to public safety. This advice is based on daily demand estimates informed by the Met Office's 24 hour forecast and comparisons between existing salt stocks and available supply.

Fireworks: Safety

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what information the Health and Safety Executive requires companies seeking a classification and authorisation document for a firework to provide.

Jonathan R Shaw: Companies seeking a firework classification are required to submit a proposed classification for approval by the Health and Safety Executive. They are also required to provide sufficient information to enable HSE to determine that the proposed classification is appropriate. This information includes details of the manufacturer, the firework names and types, part numbers, their chemical composition, information on the packaging and design and details of any relevant tests conducted on them.
	There is no requirement for firework authorisation.

Industrial Health and Safety: Death

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many fatal accidents at work there were in each of the last 20 years.

Jonathan R Shaw: The information requested is as follows:
	
		
			  Fatal injuries to workers( 1)  as reported to all enforcing authorities, 1988-89 2007-08( 2,3) 
			   Employees  Self-employed  Workers 
			 1988-89(4) 529 80 609 
			 1989-90 370 105 475 
			 1990-91 346 87 433 
			 1991-92 297 71 368 
			 1992-93 276 63 339 
			 1993-94 245 51 296 
			 1994-95 191 81 272 
			 1995-96 209 49 258 
			 1996-97(5) 207 80 287 
			 1997-98 212 62 274 
			 1998-99 188 65 253 
			 1999-00 162 58 220 
			 2000-01 213 79 292 
			 2001-02 206 45 251 
			 2002-03 183 44 227 
			 2003-04 168 68 236 
			 2004-05 172 51 223 
			 2005-06 164 53 217 
			 2006-07 191 56 247 
			 2007-08(2) 179 50 229 
			 (1) The term 'workers' includes employees and the self-employed combined (2) Provisional (3) The annual basis is the planning year 1 April to 31 March (4) The Piper Alpha disaster occurred in July 1988. The fatality count for 1988-89 therefore reflects the 167 deaths that occurred in this single incident (5) Changes in the legislation covering accident reporting came into effect in April 1996. Prior to this date reports were made under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR) 1985. From 1996-97 onwards reports were made under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR) 1995.

Departmental ICT

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what the initial estimated  (a) cost and  (b) delivery date was of each ICT project initiated by his Department and its predecessor in each year since 1997; what the (i) outturn cost and (ii) completion date was of each such project subsequently completed; which contractors were hired for each project; and how much has been paid to each contractor in respect of each project to date.

Patrick McFadden: For the last 10 years the Department's, and its predecessors, IT services have been provided through a PFI agreement with Fujitsu Services and covers the provision of all desktop services, web infrastructure services, document management and other business applications. In addition, the Department has in place an alternative IT framework agreement with a number of suppliers to enable competition where this is deemed appropriate. However, due to a change in the Department's accounting system during 2003-04 and the previously devolved nature of the ICT, consistent data on all the information requested cannot be obtained without disproportionate cost.

National Lottery: Catz Club

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 26 January 2009,  Official Report, column 54W, on Catz Club, for which projects and for what purpose each of the Lottery grants listed was made to Catz Club.

Barbara Follett: The following information comes from the Department's lottery grants database. The database is searchable at
	www.lottery.culture.gov.uk
	and uses information on lottery grants supplied by the lottery distributors.
	
		
			  Distributing body  Grant date  Recipient name  Project description  Grant amount (£) 
			 New Opportunities Fund 26 June 2003 Catz Club The grant will be used to create 168 after school places for children aged four to 11-years-old in Northamptonshire. It will create seven new clubs. 80,269 
			 New Opportunities Fund 17/10/2003 Catz Club The grant will be used to create 48 after school for children aged four to 11-years-old in Kent. The project will create two new clubs. 24,496 
			 New Opportunities Fund 17 October 2003 Catz Club The grant will be used to create 72 after school places for children aged four to 11-years-old in Norfolk. The project will create three new clubs. 24,496 
			 New Opportunities Fund 17 October 2003 Catz Club The grant will be used to create 48 after school places for children aged four to 11-years-old in Cambridgeshire. The project will create two new clubs. 12,247 
			 New Opportunities Fund 17 October 2003 Catz Club The grant will be used to create 72 after school places for children aged four to 11-years-old in Ealing. The project will create three new clubs. 7,080 
			 New Opportunities Fund 17 October 2003 Catz Club The grant will be used to create 48 after school places for children aged four to 11-years-old in Hackney. The project will create two new clubs. 24,496 
			 New Opportunities Fund 17 October 2003 Catz Club The grant will be used to create 120 after school places for children aged four to 11-years-old in Middlesex. The project will create five new clubs 24,496 
			 New Opportunities Fund 10 February 2006 Catz Club The grant would be used to create 24 before and 24 after places for children aged between four and 11-years-old by creating one new provision in the Windsor area. One local school would be served. 5,527

Departmental Correspondence

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what his Department's average response time to a letter received from  (a) an hon. Member and  (b) a member of the public has been since it was established.

Si�n Simon: The Cabinet Office, on an annual basis, publishes a report to Parliament on the performance of departments in replying to Members correspondence. The report for 2007 was published on 20 March 2008,  Official Report, columns 71-74WS. Information for 2008 is currently being collated and will be published as soon as it ready. Reports for earlier years are available in the Library of the House.
	With respect to correspondence from members of the public the Department cannot provide the requested information within disproportionate costs limits, but we do aim to respond to all written correspondence within 15 working days. Statistics on the handling of letters from members of public is published in the Department's annual report.

CompeteFor

Don Foster: To ask the Minister for the Olympics how much the CompeteFor website has cost to  (a) develop and  (b) run in each year since its inception; and how much of the funding was provided by (i) the Government, (ii) the London Development Agency and (iii) regional development agencies.

Tessa Jowell: The information requested is as follows:
	The costs of CompeteFor are as follows:
	 (a) CompeteFor cost 3.633million to develop, this included concept development, specification, implementation and testing, and establishing the support structure.
	 (b) Running costs are as follows:
	Year 1 (December 2007 to March 2008) 220,000
	Year 2 (April 2008 to March 2009) projected at 1.241 million
	Funding arrangements are as follows
	(i) No direct funding was provided by Central Government.
	(ii) The London Development Agency and the eight other regional development agencies have each provided 379,000 in set up and running costs in Year 1 and will provide approximately 111,000 each in running costs by the end of this financial year.
	The remaining costs are met by contributions provided by the devolved administrations.

Government Olympic Executive: Expenditure

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Minister for the Olympics how much has been spent on the Government Olympic Executive in each of the last three years.

Tessa Jowell: The expenditure of the Government Olympic Executive (GOE), part of the DCMS, for the last two complete financial years is as follows:
	
		
			   million 
			 2006-07 3.1 
			 2007-08 5.4 
		
	
	The estimated expenditure for GOE in 2008-09 is 8.1 million.
	This planned increase in costs  (a) reflects the wider role the GOE has taken on during this periodGOE is now the only organisation overseeing the entire Olympic project, integrating the work of multiple delivery bodies, and ensuring the games is delivered within the 9.3 billion public sector funding provision;  (b) is a planned response to the expected growth in work to deliver the Government's commitments and guarantees, as 2012 approaches; and  (c) is consistent with GOE's staffing and resource plan for 2008-09 to 2010-11, which was agreed by Treasury early in 2008.
	GOE's budget covers funding for both  (a) GOE staff costs and  (b) 2012-related programmes aimed at maximising the benefits of the games for the whole of the UK. In 2008-09, for example, this has included a contribution towards the costs of regional Cultural Olympiad programmers, the costs of events to engage with the public and to raise awareness of the opportunities the games can provide for all the nations and regions of the UK, the costs of establishing a 2012 evaluation framework Cabinet Office
	and the costs of publishing the 2012 Legacy Action Plan and the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games Annual Report.

Olympic Games: China

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Minister for the Olympics whether she has made an assessment of UK public opinion on London 2012's contribution to the Beijing Olympics closing ceremony; and if she will make a statement.

Tessa Jowell: holding answer 26 February 2009
	No formal assessment has been made of public opinion in the UK on London's Handover Ceremony in Beijing.
	Since the August Handover ceremony, my Department's research has shown that interest in the 2012 Olympic games and Paralympic games has risen by six percentage points.
	The Museums Libraries and Archives Council has carried out some assessment as part of their People's Record project. 5,000 people gave their views on the Handover celebrations and the Cultural Olympiad; the results will be published in spring.
	London Organising Committee of the Olypmic games will build on the experience gained and lessons learnt during this ceremony to deliver the ceremonies in 2012.

Children: Protection

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many serious case reviews initiated in 2008 were not published within four months of their being requested by the local safeguarding board.

Beverley Hughes: This data is not compiled centrally. The first annual Ofsted report on Serious Case Reviews, 'Learning Lessons, Taking Action', published on 1 December 2008, gave information on 50 serious case reviews evaluated by Ofsted between 1 April 2007 and 31 March 2008. It noted that of the 50 reviews evaluated, five were completed within four months, although the report also observed that 'a significant number of reviews were delayed because they were awaiting the outcome of coroners' courts and/or criminal proceedings'. Guidance in Working Together to Safeguard Children 2006 is clear, that any delays in completing serious case reviews should not prevent early lessons learnt from being implemented.

Departmental Sick Leave

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many staff in his Department or its predecessors were on sick leave for  (a) over 30 days,  (b) over 50 days and  (c) over 100 days in each of the last five years.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Department was set up as part of the Machinery of Government changes on 28 June 2007. All sickness absence data is available on the Department's website:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/sicknessabsence/.
	Information for individual members of staff who had sick leave for the periods specified is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportion cost.

National Curriculum Tests: Special Educational Needs

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  how many and what proportion of  (a) all children identified with speech, language and communication difficulties,  (b) children identified with speech, language and communications difficulties from the 10 per cent. most deprived areas and  (c) children identified with speech, language and communication difficulties from the five per cent. most deprived areas achieved the national standard in all Key Stage 1 assessment in each year since 1997;
	(2)  how many and what proportion of children identified with speech, language and communication difficulties from  (a) the 10 per cent. most deprived areas and  (b) the five per cent. most deprived areas achieved the national standard in Key Stage 1 (i) reading, (ii) writing, (iii) mathematics and (iv) science assessments in each year since 1997;
	(3)  how many and what proportion of children identified with speech, language and communication difficulties achieved the national standard in Key Stage 1  (a) reading,  (b) writing,  (c) mathematics and  (d) science assessments in each year since 1997.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Department only collects data by type of special educational need for children at School Action Plus or with statements. School Action Plus, under the SEN Code of Practice, is where a school receives some external help to meet a child's SEN. A SEN statement is drawn up by a local authority, following an assessment, where it is necessary to determine the special educational provision which a child's learning difficulties call for.
	The available 2008 information is attached to the Statistical First Release: Attainment by Pupil Characteristics, in England 2007/08, which can be found at:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000822/index.shtml
	Analysis similar to that requested for pupils with speech, language and communication difficulty attaining the expected level in Key Stage 1 was carried out using 2006 data and the relevant information is given as follows.
	This information is not available for years before 2005 when type of SEN information for pupils was not collected.
	The analysis only relates to the primary SEN type of pupils. Some of these children may also have a secondary SEN type which has not been taken into consideration in the analysis.
	
		
			  Percentage of pupils achieving level 2 (expected level) or above in Key Stage 1 assessments in 2006 
			  Number of pupils with speech language and communication difficulty at school action plus = reading/writing/maths 8,875, science 8,870 
			  Number of pupils with speech language and communication difficulty with statements = reading/writing/maths 2,410, science 2,405 
			   Reading  Writing  Maths  Science 
			  School action plus 
			 Speech language and communication difficulty 45 38 60 58 
			  
			  Statement 
			 Speech language and communication difficulty 29 22 38 33 
			  Note: Figures relate to seven-year-olds (age at start of academic year, i.e. 31 August) in maintained schools. 
		
	
	The Department intends to publish similar information for pupils with special educational needs based on 2008 data later this year.
	Further information can be provided only at a disproportionate cost.

School Meals: Nutrition

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what his most recent assessment is of the effect of secondary schools allowing pupils to leave school premises at lunchtime on the ability of schools to deliver higher nutritional standards in school meals.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Food based standards for school lunches have been in place since September 2006. Schools must also meet the Government's nutrient based standards for school lunches, which were introduced for primary school lunches in September 2008 and will be introduced in secondary and special schools in September 2009. Clearly, secondary school pupils that leave the school premises at lunchtime and do not eat a school lunch will not benefit from the healthier food on offer at the school. It is for head teachers to decide whether to adopt a stay on site policy.

Teachers: Training

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether the Continued Professional Development proposed for teachers operating in challenging circumstances, as referred to in his Department's publication New Opportunities, Fair Chances for the Future, will include training on the effects of poverty on children's experiences of school.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The teachers' Professional Standards already require them to identify and support children and young people whose progress, development or well-being is affected by changes or difficulties in their personal circumstances, and when to refer them to colleagues for specialist support.
	In connection with the extra support announced in the New Opportunities White Paper, I have asked the Training and Development Agency for Schools to assemble a package of guidance and advice for both new and experienced teachers and other school staff working in challenging circumstances. This will be available from September and will support teachers in achieving and maintaining the Professional Standards and other school staff in supporting children and young people.

Departmental Pay

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much was spent in bonuses to staff of each grade in  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies in (i) 2007 and (ii) 2008.

Huw Irranca-Davies: Performance related pay schemes encourage high attainment, help drive performance in departments and agencies and support better public service delivery. DEFRA's uses non-consolidated payments to reward high performance during the year and these are based on the how well an individual has met or exceeded set objectives, relative to their peers.
	Non-consolidated performance payments are one-off payments and do not count towards pension. They are allocated from a 'pot' expressed as a percentage of the salary budget each year. Non-consolidated performance payments paid from the 2007 pay budget relate to performance in the, 2006-07 appraisal year and those paid from 2008 pay budget relate to performance in the 2007-08 appraisal year.
	For the senior civil service (SCS) the size of the pot available is agreed centrally each year following recommendations from the senior salaries review body. In recent years, this pot has increased as greater emphasis is placed on non-consolidated performance pay with proportionately smaller increases to consolidated base pay.
	The size of the pot for non-SCS is determined individually by Departments and Agencies through the pay remit process and in negotiations with the Trades Unions. DEFRA's pay remit level approved over the past two years has been below the average of those approved across Whitehall departments.
	The following tables show the total amount of non-consolidated performance payments awarded to staff in each grade in 2007 and 2008. For DEFRA, the data covers staff in core-DEFRA (including staff who transferred to DECC in October 2008) and those agencies covered by DEFRA terms and conditions (Animal Health, Veterinary Medicines Directorate, Marine and Fisheries Agency and Government Decontamination Service and until 1 April 2008 Pesticides Safety Directorate).
	
		
			  2007 
			   
			  Grade equivalent  DEFRA  VLA  RPA  CSL  CEFAS 
			 AA 26,912 3,196 700 2,063 3,887 
			 AO 162,911 6,119 134,305 25,944 87,337 
			 EO 228,800 10,712 142,949 33,609 95,341 
			 HEO 451,455 6,216 66,217 51,112 139,554 
			 Fast Stream 36,862 n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 SEO 309,306 8,155 27,628 49,005 139,211 
			 Vet. Officer 96,534 n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 G7 529,639 7,910 13,141 53,091 95,165 
			 G6 208,736 3,048 4,400 22,290 58,249 
			 SCS PB1 plus chief execs 896,822 43,140 47,673 39,191 11,000 
			 SCS PB2 275,702 n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 SCS PB3 50,500 n/a n/a n/a n/a 
		
	
	
		
			  2008 
			   
			  Grade Equivalent  DEFRA  VLA  RPA  CSL  CEFAS 
			 AA 22,773 1,643 800 2,129 3,251 
			 AO 143,857 1,996 165,704 25,552 94,509 
			 EO 186,459 7,280 165,590 29,127 113,017 
			 HEO 343,955 5,913 80,117 53,359 174,100 
			 Fast Stream 39,624 n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 SEO 207,280 8,916 36,953 58,728 167,559 
			 Vet Officer 93,163 n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 G7 450,138 8,404 18,335 55,996 128,147 
			 G6 238,399 2,509 4,800 28,436 61,175 
			 SCS PB1 plus chief execs 922,590 42,184 51,371 33,391 31,989 
			 SCS PB2 311,600 n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 SCS PB3 77,000 n/a n/a n/a n/a

Marine Management Organisation: Location

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 12 February 2009,  Official Report, columns 82-84WS, on the Marine Management Organisation's headquarters, what assessment he has made of the suitability of Plymouth as a site for the Marine Management Organisation's headquarters.

Huw Irranca-Davies: holding answer 25 February 2009
	 In a transparent and fair process which involved stakeholders in drawing up a set of business and quality of life criteria and the consultancy firm KPMG carrying out an independent assessment against these criteria, Plymouth was selected as one of the six shortlisted locations for the Marine Management Organisation's headquarters. The criteria used to arrive at the shortlist, and subsequently tested through site visits and presentations from the locations, were:
	Business needs for the MMO HQ such as availability of skilled work force and good transport links.
	Cost and value for money.
	Government policies on location of public sector bodies.
	Quality of Life factors including cost of living, education, employment, healthcare.
	As well as carrying out site visits to further test locations against these criteria, all short listed locations were given the opportunity to present their case to be the home of the MMO HQ and I met with MPs from all the shortlisted locations. Plymouth presented a strong case and, like all of the shortlisted locations, would have been a good home for the MMO HQ, allowing the MMO to meet its business needs and benefit from local marine expertise, organisational networks and academic links.
	However, Tyneside demonstrated the strongest and most comprehensive case to be the home of the organisation and provides a location from which the organisation can best achieve its aims. Among other factors, Tyneside has a broad range and good balance of marine interests with a working port, all of which fit well with the role of the MMO. Tyneside also provides strong transport links in terms of access to key stakeholders in London, Brussels and Scotland. There was a compelling demonstration of support from a wide range of stakeholders across the North East region, a region which has benefited little to date from the Lyons Review in respect of the relocation of public sector employment. The extensive evidence of partnership working in the area provided confidence that Tyneside had actively considered the bespoke requirements of the MMO with regard to its role under the Marine and Coastal Access Bill.

Local Authorities: Carbon Emissions

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer of 29 April 2008,  Official Report, column 314W, on local authorities: carbon emissions, if she will place in the Library a copy of the letter from January 2007; and whether local authorities may carbon offset using projects based in their local authority area.

Joan Ruddock: I have been asked to reply
	, and can confirm that the letter in question will be placed in the Libraries of the House. On carbon offsetting, it is very difficult to ensure that UK-based carbon offset projects are truly additionalthat is, that they result in real emission reductions that would not have happened anyway in the absence of carbon finance. For this reason the government's voluntary quality assurance scheme for carbon offsettingwhich was launched on 26 February 2009will not cover projects based in the UK. Support for local emission reduction projects can be beneficial, but caution should be exercised in claiming those emission reductions as offsets to balance a carbon footprint.

Non-Domestic Rates: Ports

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when her Department informed the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) that prescriptive rating of docks was to end; and when the VOA was asked to prepare individual assessments of port businesses.

John Healey: The Government's policy to end the power to prescribe formed part of the long-term policy to apply conventional rating valuation methods across all industry sectors. The ending of prescribed rating was enacted in the Local Government Act 2003. Prescription applied only to the operational land of the statutory portnot to other companies or businesses operating under licence or other agreement with exclusive use of property within the boundaries of ports. A separate assessment for such property is a long established principle that applies right across non-domestic rating, including within ports.
	Rateable values are assessed independently by the Valuation Office Agency (VOA), and this Department is not involved in the process.
	The review of the port rating assessments was undertaken as part of the VOA's statutory duty to maintain correct rating lists. As inaccuracies in the rating assessments were identified, action was taken to correct them.

Climate Change: International Cooperation

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change 
	(1)  what proposals his Department has put forward for an international financing mechanism to fund the UN Climate Change Adaptation Fund; what discussions he has had with the Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer on these proposals; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the UK's level of financial support for the UN Climate Change Adaptation Fund; and if he will make a statement.

Joan Ruddock: Discussions were held across Whitehall in preparation for the agreement by parties that 2 per cent. of the share of proceeds from the Certified Emissions Reductions issued for the Clean Development Mechanism will go towards the Adaptation Fund. This international financing mechanism is now in place. The UK Government are working with others on the Adaptation Fund Board to establish sound operational procedures for the Adaptation Fund to ensure that it will meet international fiduciary standards and be an effective mechanism for delivering increased finance where it is needed. The UK Government take the subject of adaptation finance extremely seriously and recognise that the process will be complex and will take time to get right.
	The board's approach to making the fund operational was approved by parties in Poznan, thus enabling it to start operations in 2009. The board is now working to put in place the mechanisms it set out in the approach submitted to parties in Poznan, and the UK continues to play a key role in assisting the board to find innovative ways to enable the fund to become operational this year. The UK was the board's biggest financial supporter in 2008 (500,000) and has set aside an additional 500,000 for 2009 to assist the board in its work to set up the necessary operational structures to enable direct access.
	Discussions by parties in Poznan revealed weaknesses in the governance structure of the Adaptation Fund, which have restricted the authority and operational efficacy of the board. These will need to be addressed to ensure that the fund will be able to make decisions on allocation of funding that are not affected by political considerations. This process has been particularly challenging as parties have requested access to funding without the assistance of intermediaries. The international community has thus far relied on these to provide sound fiduciary risk management for international assistance to developing countries. The UK has been playing a key role in the board to find ways to facilitate such direct access to funding.
	The UK Government will be considering options for scaling up the movement of international financial assistance through the Adaptation Fund after consideration of the adequacy of the implementation structures the fund will have put in place this year, and in line with our wider objectives on the international financial architecture. It is clear that a blend of options will offer the best prospects of raising the level of funding required. Our vision is of a climate 'compact' between developed and developing countrieswhereby funds are disbursed at scale on the basis of national plans that integrate mitigation and adaptation needs alongside development priorities.

Nuclear Power Stations: Inspections

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will place in the Library a copy of the report by Veredus on the pay and conditions of nuclear inspectors.

Jonathan R Shaw: I have been asked to reply.
	The Veredus report was commissioned by HSE to inform its consideration of the appropriate remuneration package to retain and recruit the nuclear inspectors it needs. As such it is very pertinent to the ongoing pay negotiations that HSE is conducting at present as well as the negotiations that will take place in setting ND up as a statutory corporation under HSE auspices. Consequently, it is not considered appropriate to place a copy in the Library at this time.

Warm Front Scheme

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the value of the administration fee paid to Eaga in regard of the Warm Front scheme was in each of the last 10 years.

Joan Ruddock: Eaga has been the main contractor for Warm Front across the country since 2005. Since that point, the administration fees paid have been:
	
		
			   Administration cost ()  Percentage t otal of budget 
			 2005-06 18,048,000 9.6 
			 2006-07 25,551,000 9.1 
			 2007-08 31,464,000 8.9 
			 2008-09 (Forecast) 20,563,000 6.5

Armed Forces: Working Hours

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many hours on average were worked by  (a) junior and  (b) senior service personnel at each rank of each service in each age band in each week of the last 12 months.

Kevan Jones: The information requested is not held centrally on administration systems. However Defence Analytical Services and Advice (DASA) carry out a Continuous Survey of Working Patterns which is used to provide estimates of the average weekly hours worked over a financial year.
	The estimates provided within the report are broken down by service, rank group and broad location. Information on age is not collected within this survey and hence breakdowns by age are not available.
	Due to the size of the sample survey estimates are only considered to be statistically valid over long time periods, as such estimates could not be provided for each week.
	The 2006-07 copy of the Continuous Survey of Working Patterns report is available in the Library of the House.
	The 2007-08 will be placed in the Library of the House by the end of April 2009.

Departmental Sick Leave

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many staff in his Department were on sick leave for  (a) over 30 days,  (b) over 50 days and  (c) over 100 days in each of the last five years.

Kevan Jones: Numbers of MOD civilian sick absence episodes of over 30 calendar days, over 50 calendar days and over 100 calendar days in the calendar years ending 31 December 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008, are shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Number of civilian sick absence episodes 
			   30-49 calendar days  50-99 calendar days  100 or more calendar days 
			 2005 2,700 2,750 1,920 
			 2006 2,410 2,160 1,680 
			 2007 2,200 2,180 1,600 
			 2008 2,020 1,940 1,470 
			  Notes: 1. These figures exclude staff in Trading Funds (as the data is of insufficient quality), and exclude the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, and locally engaged civilians for whom sickness absence data are not centrally recorded. Numbers are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Any portion of a sick absence episode that falls outside the relevant calendar year is not included in that year. 
		
	
	Information prior to the 12 months ending 31 December 2005 was compiled on a previous methodology and definition for monitoring sickness absence, which is not consistent with figures for later years.

Nuclear Weapons

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the date was of each meeting of the Joint Working Group since 2001; and what the purpose of each meeting was.

John Hutton: The following Joint Working Groups (JOWOGS) operate under the auspices of the 1958 Mutual Defence Agreement:
	
		
			  Joint working group  Title 
			 6 Radiation Simulation and Kinetic Effects 
			 9 Energetic Materials 
			 22 Nuclear Materials 
			 23 Warhead Electrical Components and Technologies 
			 28 Non-Nuclear Materials 
			 29 Nuclear Counter-Terrorism Technology 
			 30 Facilities 
			 31 Nuclear Weapons Engineering 
			 32 Nuclear Warhead Physics 
			 34 Computational Technology 
			 36 Aircraft, Missile and Space System Hardening 
			 37 Laboratory Plasma Physics 
			 39 Manufacturing Practices 
			 41 Nuclear Warhead Accident Response 
			 42 Nuclear Weapon Code Development 
			 43 Nuclear Weapon Environment and Damage Effects 
			 44 Methodologies for Nuclear Weapon Safety Assurance 
		
	
	Since January 2001 the following number of JOWOG and JOWOGrelated meetings have taken place:
	
		
			   Meetings in the US  Meetings in the UK  Total number of meetings 
			 2001 118 62 180 
			 2002 133 66 199 
			 2003 133 58 191 
			 2004 118 87 205 
			 2005 168 75 243 
			 2006 159 80 239 
			 2007 207 91 298 
			 2008 187 93 280 
			 2009 (to date) 23 10 33 
		
	
	I am withholding further detail of the content of JOWOG discussions in the interests of national security.

Nuclear Weapons

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what visits have been made by  (a) US personnel to Aldermaston and  (b) Aldermaston personnel to (i) Los Alamos, (ii) Sandia and (iii) Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories in each year since 2003; and what the purpose of each of those visits was.

John Hutton: The total number of visits by Atomic Weapons Establishment personnel to each of the US national laboratories and vice versa in support of all aspects of work covered by the Mutual Defence Agreement (including the Polaris Sales Agreementas amended for Trident), is as follows:
	
		
			   To Los Alamos  From Los Alamos 
			 2003 228 242 
			 2004 130 215 
			 2005 183 152 
			 2006 194 170 
			 2007 312 182 
			 2008 217 255 
			 2009 (to date) 35 37 
		
	
	
		
			   To Sandia  From Sandia 
			 2003 155 104 
			 2004 162 103 
			 2005 271 70 
			 2006 213 104 
			 2007 288 151 
			 2008 291 185 
			 2009 (to date) 93 13 
		
	
	
		
			   To Lawrence Livermore  From Lawrence Livermore 
			 2003 104 87 
			 2004 123 93 
			 2005 205 105 
			 2006 156 97 
			 2007 217 143 
			 2008 149 140 
			 2009 (to date) 28 13 
		
	
	These figures include personnel making more than one visit, and visits to several sites during a single trip.
	I am withholding further detail of the purpose of these visits in the interests of national security.

Detainees: Prostitution

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individuals who had worked as a prostitute in the UK were subsequently detained in prison in each year since 2000.

Shahid Malik: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested is not held centrally. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Minister of State for Justice (Mr. Hanson) to the hon. Member for Bolton, South-East (Dr. Iddon) on 10 December 2008,  Official Report, column 116W.
	The legal background to the offence of being a common prostitute, loitering, or soliciting for the purposes of prostitution is contained in Section 1 of the Street Offences Act, 1959.
	Under the Act the maximum penalty for this offence is a fine, not imprisonment. Figures obtained from the prison service IT system confirm that there are currently no women serving prison sentences for the offence. Non-payment of any fine accruing from the offence would be recorded as defaulting on the payment of the fine.
	It is not known how many males or females who previously worked as prostitutes have subsequently been detained in prison.
	This is the position regarding England and Wales; for information regarding the legal position and a response to the question as it applies to Scotland and Northern Ireland it would be necessary to approach the Scottish Government and the Northern Ireland Prison Service.

Crimes of Violence: Winchester

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many cases of  (a) rape,  (b) grievous bodily harm,  (c) actual bodily harm and  (d) burglary were recorded in Winchester in each of the last five years; and how many (i) prosecutions and (ii) convictions there were in relation to such offences in each category in each of those years.

Maria Eagle: Information on the number of recorded offences of rape and burglary in the Winchester Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership area have been provided by the Home Office and is shown in the following table 1. However, there are no statistics currently available relating specifically to offences of grievous bodily harm or actual bodily harm. Such offences would be included in the Home Office classifications of 'more serious wounding' or 'less serious wounding' as appropriate and cannot be separately identified from other offences within those classifications.
	From data held by the Ministry of Justice, the number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts for offences relating to rape, grievous bodily harm, actual bodily harm, and burglary in Hampshire police force area can be viewed in Table 2 as follows.
	Court proceedings data are not available at constituency level. Therefore Hampshire police force area data have been provided in lieu.
	These data are on the principal offence basis. The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offence for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences, the offence selected is the one for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.
	Court proceedings data for 2008 will be available in the autumn of 2009.
	Recorded crime and court proceedings statistics are from two different databases and recorded in quite different ways. Recorded crime data is provided on a financial year basis and counts offences whereas court proceedings data are on a calendar year basis and count offenders. Therefore, these two separate data-sets are not directly comparable.
	
		
			  Table 1: Offences of rape and burglary recorded by the police in the Winchester Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership area2003-04 to 2007-08 
			  Number of offences 
			   Rape  Burglary 
			 2003-04 21 966 
			 2004-05 23 706 
			 2005-06 16 706 
			 2006-07 23 722 
			 2007-08  724 
			  Source: Home Office Statistics (Policing) 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: The number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts, found guilty at all courts for rape, grievous bodily harm, actual bodily harm, and burglary offences in Hampshire police force area, 2003 to 2007( 1, 2, 3) 
			   Proceeded against  Found guilty 
			  Offence  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 Rape 91 84 98 62 90 10 14 27 30 25 
			 Grievous bodily harm 191 161 167 130 154 46 54 54 42 40 
			 Actual bodily harm 162 148 164 156 131 127 136 133 134 122 
			 Burglary 1,111 999 844 813 774 658 644 601 627 567 
			 (1) These data are on the principal offence basis. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) Includes the following statutes and corresponding offence descriptions: Offences against the Person Act 1861 Sec 18. Wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm. Offences against the Person Art 1861 Sec 20. Malicious wounding: wounding or inflicting grievous bodily harm. Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.l Rape of a female aged under 16. Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.l Rape of a female aged 16 or over. Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.l Rape of a male aged under 16. Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.l Rape of a male aged 16 or over Burglary in a Dwelling : Theft Act 1968 Sec 9(l)(a). Burglary in a dwelling with intent to commit or the commission of an offence triable only on indictment. Theft Act 1968 Sec9(l)(b). Burglary in a dwelling with the commission of an offence triable only on indictment or with violence or the threat of violence. Theft Act 1968 Sec 9. Other burglary in a dwelling. Aggravated Burglary in a Dwelling: Theft Act 1968 Sec 10. Aggravated burglary in a dwelling (including attempts). Burglary in a Building Other than a Dwelling Theft Act 1968 Sec 9. Burglary in a building other than a dwelling with intent to commit or the commission of an offence triable only on indictment. Theft Act 1968 Sec 9.  Source: Office for Criminal Justice ReformMinistry of Justice

Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in each age cohort  (a) were diagnosed with and  (b) had their death attributed to Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in each of the last 10 years; and what the equivalent figures are for 2009 to date.

Dawn Primarolo: The following tables show separately the deaths from sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD), familial or genetic CJD/Gerstmann-Straussler-Scheinker syndrome, iatrogenic CJD and variant OD from 1999-2009 by 10 year age cohorts. A further table shows age at diagnosis for variant CJD in 10 year age cohorts or, for those cases who were diagnosed only after death (i.e. post mortem), age at death. For other forms of CJD data on year of diagnosis is almost identical to year of death as mean survival is only four months.
	
		
			  Deaths from sporadic CJD in the UK: 1999-2008 and 2009 to date 
			   Age at death (yrs)  
			   10-19  20-29  30-39  40-49  50-59  60-69  70-79  80-89  90+  Total 
			 1999  1  6 16 19 16 4  62 
			 20003 2 25 17 3  50 
			 2001 9 19 22 8  58 
			 20023 11 33 22 3  72 
			 20031 10 32 29 6 1 79 
			 20043 11 17 12 7  50 
			 2005 10 22 26 8  66 
			 20062 7 24 25 10  68 
			 20071 7 22 28 4  62 
			 2008   1  9 26 34 8  78 
			 2009 to date  22 
		
	
	
		
			  Deaths from familial or genetic CJD/GSS in the UK: 1999-2008 and 2009 to date 
			   Age at death (yrs)  
			   10-19  20-29  30-39  40-49  50-59  60-69  70-79  80-89  90+  Total 
			 1999   1  1 2 
			 20001 1 13 
			 2001   2 1 1 1 1   6 
			 2002   1 2  25 
			 20031 2 36 
			 20041 1 2 2   6 
			 2005   1 7 2 313 
			 2006   1 2 5 19 
			 2007 3 4 1   8 
			 20081 1 35 
			 2009 to date1  1 
		
	
	
		
			  Deaths from iatrogenic CJD in the UK: 1999-2008 and 2009 to date 
			   Age at death (yrs)  
			   10-19  20-29  30-39  40-49  50-59  60-69  70-79  80-89  90+  Total 
			 1999  2 4   6 
			 2000   1   1 
			 2001  1 2 1  4 
			 2002   
			 2003  1 3 1  5 
			 2004   1 1  2 
			 2005  1 21   4 
			 20061  1 
			 2007  1  1  2 
			 2008   1 4  5 
			 2009 to date1  1 
		
	
	
		
			  Deaths from vCJD in the UK: 1999-2008 and 2009 to date 
			   Age at death (yrs)  
			   10-19  20-29  30-39  40-49  50-59  60-69  70-79  80-89  90+  Total 
			 1999 2 6 3 1 2  1   15 
			 2000 6 14 7  1 28 
			 2001 1 10 8 1  20 
			 2002 2 7 5 2 1 17 
			 2003 3 6 6  1 218 
			 2004 1 4 3 1  9 
			 2005 1  3  1 5 
			 2006  1 4   5 
			 2007 1 3 1   5 
			 2008  11 
			 2009 to date   
		
	
	
		
			  Diagnosis of vCJD in the UK: 1999-2008 and 2009 to date 
			   Age at diagnosis (yrs )  
			   10-19  20-29  30-39  40-49  50-59  60-69  70-79  80-89  90+  Total 
			 1999 3 6 4 2 2 17 
			 2000 5 13 6 1 1  1   27 
			 2001 3 12 8 2  25 
			 2002 6 5 3 1 1 16 
			 2003 3 4 6  1 216 
			 2004 1 2 4 1  8 
			 2005  2 3  1 6 
			 2006 1 1 31   6 
			 2007  11 
			 2008  11 
			 2009 to date1  1

Measles: Hertfordshire

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to reduce the incidence of measles in  (a) Hemel Hempstead and  (b) Hertfordshire.

Dawn Primarolo: The way to reduce the number of confirmed cases of measles recorded each year is to increase the number of children vaccinated with the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine.
	In addition to the routine MMR vaccination programme, on 6 August 2008 the Department launched a national MMR vaccine catch-up campaign. The aim of the campaign is to immunise all children between one and 18 years of age who are unvaccinated or only partially vaccinated with MMR vaccine.
	To support the campaign the Department has provided extra funding to primary care trusts (PCTs) with PCTs outside London having their funding limits increased by 30,000 and London PCTs' funding limits increased by 60,000. The Department has also sourced additional supplies of vaccine, provided technical support to general practitioners to help them identify children who have not received the MMR vaccine and provided additional online reports to PCTs to help them monitor the effectiveness of their catch-up programmes. The Department has also sent all general practitioner surgeries new measles leaflets and posters.
	The Department has held meetings with both strategic health authorities and PCT immunisation co-ordinators, regional directors of public health and directors of performance to emphasise the importance of reducing measles cases through improving vaccination uptake.
	A public relations campaign will be rolled out from March 2009. Key messages will include how serious and infectious measles is and how ifs never too late to have the MMR vaccine.
	Hemel Hempstead is covered by West Hertfordshire PCT. West Hertfordshire PCT and East and North Hertfordshire PCT are implementing the national MMR vaccine catch-up campaign.

Departmental Temporary Employment

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer from which companies his Department sourced temporary staff in each of the last five years; and what the monetary value of contracts with each such company was in each of those years.

Angela Eagle: Details of companies' sourced for temporary staff and the amounts paid to each company is shown in the following table:
	
		
			   
			  Company  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 Badenoch and Clark 76,390 40,961 34,989 71,571 105,722 
			 Brook Street (UK) Ltd. 79,195 184,224 127,856 120,980 27,272 
			 Campion Willcocks and Associates Ltd.   192,232 68,103  
			 Hudson Global Resources Ltd. 102,763 66,723 179,778 280,338 198,437 
			 Huntress Search Ltd. 133,424 148,132 77,213 66,617 67,740 
			 Josephine Sammons Ltd. 19,489  11,994 29,226 32,128 
			 Kelly Services 170,930 
			 MacDonald and Company   12,813   
			 Method Consulting Ltd.   125,392 193,848 11,844 
			 Michael Page Ltd. 84,931 86,954 114,131 301,717 185,760 
			 Office Angels 165,234 69,792 38,729 37,859 4,833

Revenue and Customs: Standards

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many tax credit  (a) claims and  (b) claimants were affected by technical difficulties at HM Revenue and Customs in 2005-06; what measures have been put in place to resolve such difficulties; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many tax credit claims have been  (a) affected by and  (b) delayed as a result of (i) IT problems and (ii) other technical difficulties at HM Revenue and Customs and its predecessor in each of the last five years;
	(3)  how many tax credit claims were unpaid for  (a) over one year,  (b) over two years,  (c) over three years,  (d) over four years and  (e) five years or more as a result of (i) IT problems and (ii) other technical difficulties at HM Revenue and Customs and its predecessor.

Stephen Timms: The information is not available. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) works continuously with its IT provider to identify and resolve tax credits claims affected by technical difficulties.
	Where there are IT problems or other technical difficulties, HMRC maintain affected tax credits claims by sending manual cash cheque payments to its customers.

Revenue and Customs: Standards

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what average length of time HM Revenue and Customs took to  (a) process and  (b) award a tax credit claim in the last 12 months;
	(2)  what procedures HM Revenue and Customs has in place to ensure the  (a) accurate,  (b) swift and  (c) efficient payment of tax credits.

Stephen Timms: For information about processing times I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Northavon (Steve Webb) on 24 February 2009,  Official Report, column 535W.
	HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) publish procedural guidance for staff handling tax credits claims on the department's website at:
	www.hmrc.gov.uk/manuals/ntcmanual/index.htm
	More generally, Section 2 of the Exchequer and Audit Departments Act 1921 requires the comptroller and auditor general to examine the accounts of HMRC to ascertain that adequate regulations and procedure have been framed to secure an effective check on the assessment, collection and proper allocation of revenue and that they are being duly carried out, and to report the results to the House of Commons. His reports are published on the National Audit Office website at:
	www.nao.org.uk/publications.aspx

Arms Trade: Treaties

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will seek to include the Arms Trade Treaty process on the agenda for the forthcoming G20 summit in London.

Bill Rammell: The agenda for the London summit meeting is still under consideration with participants. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary will continue to raise the Arms Trade treaty at appropriate opportunities in international meetings.

Colonies: UN Resolutions

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department has taken to monitor the implementation of UN General Assembly Resolution 63/110 on Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples.

Gillian Merron: This is a twofold process: The UK carefully examines the UN Secretariat's reports to the General Assembly's Fourth Committee. The UK also continues to fulfil its obligations to the Overseas Territories under the UN Charter.
	The UK's relationship with its Overseas Territories is a modern one based on partnership. The UK is committed to the future development and continued security of the Overseas Territories for as long as the Territories choose to retain their link to the UK. The UK has no intention of imposing independence against the will of the peoples concerned, whilst the established policy of successive Governments have been to give every help and encouragement to those Territories which wished to proceed to independence, where it is an option.

Departmental Sick Leave

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many days sick leave on average each member of staff in his Department took in 2008.

Gillian Merron: The average number of sick days taken by UK-based Foreign and Commonwealth Office staff during 2008 was 3.6 days. We do not records centrally of sick leave taken by locally-engaged staff members. This information could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.

Iraq: Iran

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he  (a) has taken and  (b) plans to take at the United Nations in response to the Iraqi National Security Adviser, Muwafaq al- Rubaie's statement on 24 January 2009 that the government of Iraq intends to hand over to the Iranian government members of the People's Mujahedin of Iran; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: I should clarify that it was the US, not the UK, who had responsibility for the security and administration of the camp. The US informed us of its plans to hand responsibility for the camp to the Iraqi authorities from 1 January 2009, this has now taken place.
	I should further clarify that the Iraqi government has not made any announcement stating they intend to forcibly hand over residents of Camp Ashraf to the Iranian government. National Security Adviser Al-Rubaie stated during his visit to Iran that we have told the members of PMOI in Camp Ashraf that they have two options. Either they return home or choose a third country.
	Prior to the handover, the US received assurances making clear the Iraqi authorities commitment to the humane treatment and continued wellbeing of the camp residents. We understand that in addition to this, the Iraqi Ministry of Human Rights has also visited the camp and delivered these assurances to a representative body of the residents. We are naturally concerned that the rights of all those involved in the process are observed and that they continue to be treated humanely and their fundamental human rights be maintained.
	Voluntary repatriations to Iran of those residents who wish to return will continue. But there is no evidence to suggest forced relocation of the residents in Iraq or elsewhere will take place.

Iraq: Iran

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the government of Iraq to withdraw its reported plans to hand over to the Iranian government members of the People's Mujahedin of Iran; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: I refer the hon. Member for Southend West to the answer provided against PQ 256769. It is the Government's view that there is no intention on the part of the Iraqi government to forcibly return any residents of Camp Ashraf to Iran.

Iraq: Iran

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the government of Iraq on the rights of members of the People's Mujahedin of Iran resident in Ashraf City, Iraq; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: The US received assurances from the Iraqi authorities making clear their commitment to the humane treatment and continued well-being of the camp residents. We understand that in addition to this the Iraqi Ministry of Human Rights have also visited the camp and delivered these assurances to a representative body of the residents. We are naturally concerned that the rights of all those involved in the process are observed and that they continue to be treated humanely and their fundamental human rights be maintained. In this regard, we understand that as a result of their extensive contacts the US are satisfied that the Iraqi authorities are fully aware of their responsibilities with regard to Camp Ashraf and its residents.
	Both the Iraqi authorities and the US had been involved in discussions with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq on the modalities of the hand over of responsibility for the camp. The Iraqi Ministry of Human Rights also played a key role in overseeing the transition. In addition we understand that the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) discusses, on a confidential basis, all of the issues surrounding the camp with the People's Mujahedin Organisation of Iran and the Iraqi and US authorities. The ICRC follows developments at the camp closely and visit regularly.
	You will also wish to note that, while residents of the camp were treated as 'protected persons', this was exercised at the good will of the US authorities in charge at the time and was not granted through any legal obligation under international law.

Iraq: Mujahedin-e Khalq

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will ask the government of Iraq to remove all restrictions on supporters of the People's Mujahedin of Iran based in Ashraf City following the recent judgment of the European Court of Justice.

Bill Rammell: On 26 January 2009, taking into account the judgment by the Court of First Instance on 4 December 2008, the General Affairs and External Relations Council adopted a list which did not include the People's Mujahedin Organisation of Iran (MEK/PMOI). Mindful of this 4 December judgement annulling the July 2008 listing of the MEK/PMOI, the UK believes that EU member states must observe and respect the court's judgment in the current review of the EU list of terrorist organisations.
	Residents of the camp are free to leave at any time if they demonstrate they have the appropriate travel documentation and finance to leave the camp and take up residence either in Iran or in a third country. Voluntary repatriations to Iran have previously taken place and, we understand, without the returnees concerned being ill treated. Such reparations will continue for those who wish to do this. There is no evidence to suggest forced relocation of the residents in Iraq or elsewhere will take place.
	The US received assurances from the Iraqi authorities which make clear their commitment to the humane treatment and continued wellbeing of the camp residents. We understand that in addition to this the Iraqi Ministry of Human Rights have also visited the camp and delivered these assurances to a representative body of the residents. We are naturally concerned that the rights of all those involved are observed and that camp residents continue to be treated humanely and their fundamental human rights be maintained.

Iraq: Mujahedin-e Khalq

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will seek to put in place mechanisms to protect supporters of the People's Mujahedin of Iran based in Ashraf City.

Bill Rammell: I should clarify that it was the US, not the UK, who had responsibility for the security and administration of the camp. The US informed us of its plans to hand responsibility for the camp to the Iraqi authorities from 1 January 2009 and this has now taken place. Both the Iraqi authorities and the US had been involved in discussions with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq on modalities. The Iraqi Ministry of Human Rights also played a key role in overseeing the transition. In addition we understand that the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) discusses, on a confidential basis, all of the issues surrounding the camp with the People's Mujahedin Organisation of Iran (MEK/PMOI) and the Iraqi and US authorities. The ICRC follows developments at the camp closely and visits regularly.
	The US received assurances from the Iraqi authorities before the handover took place making clear their commitment to the humane treatment and continued wellbeing of the camp residents. We understand that in addition to this the Iraqi Ministry of Human Rights have also visited the camp and delivered these assurances to a representative body of the residents.
	We are naturally concerned that the rights of all those residents involved are observed and that they continue to be treated humanely and their fundamental human rights be maintained. In this regard, we understand that as a result of their extensive contacts the US are satisfied that the Iraqi authorities are fully aware of their responsibilities with regard to Camp Ashraf and its residents.
	On 26 January 2009, bearing in mind the judgment by the Court of First Instance on 4 December 2008, the General Affairs and External Relations Council adopted a list which did not include the MEK/PMOI organisation. The 4 December judgment annulled the July 2008 listing of the MEK/PMOI, the UK therefore believe that EU member states must observe and respect the court's judgment in the current review of the EU list of terrorist organisations.

Iraq: Politics and Government

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the effect of  (a) the resignation from the Iraqi government of its Minister for Women and  (b) budgetary reductions of the Iraqi Ministry for Women on Iraq's ability to fulfil its responsibilities under UN Security Council Resolution 1325.

Bill Rammell: We were disappointed to hear news of the resignation of Mrs. Nawal al-Samaraie although there apparently remains considerable uncertainty towards whether this resignation has been accepted by the Government of Iraq. We have always enjoyed excellent relations with Mrs. al-Samaraie and have offered our full support to the work of her ministry. Budgetary issues are clearly a matter for the government of Iraq but we understand that the Iraqi Ministry of Women's Affairs is a Ministry of State and does not have the same autonomy, or budget line, of a full Ministry under the Iraqi Government.
	The UK shall continue to work with the Government of Iraq to ensure that the rights of women as provided within the Iraqi constitution are upheld. The Iraqi Ministry of Human Rights also has responsibility towards upholding women's rights as will the National Human Rights Commission which was established through legislation passed in November 2008.

Israel: Nuclear Weapons

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the evidential basis is for the assumption that Israel has nuclear weapons, as set out at page 14 of his Department's publication, Lifting the Nuclear Shadow: Creating the conditions for abolishing nuclear weapons.

Bill Rammell: Information in the public domain, has led to a widely held assumption that Israel possesses nuclear weapons, though Israel has always refused to either confirm or deny this. The UK has consistently urged Israel to join the non proliferation treaty as a non-nuclear weapon state.

Middle East: Armed Conflict

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library a copy of the briefing note on Operation Cast Lead produced jointly by his Department and the Home Office Research and Information Unit; which  (a) organisations and  (b) individuals were consulted prior to drafting the briefing note; who drafted the briefing note; for what purpose it was produced; how many copies were circulated; to whom; at what cost to his Department; what contributions Ministers in his Department made to the briefing note; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: The Government worked hard to explain UK policy to interested groups throughout the conflict, In addition to public and parliamentary statements, my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and I have met privately with numerous non governmental organisations, Muslim and Jewish community groups and parliamentarians. We have also written to many individuals and groups, including my letter to all MPs and Peers on 9 January 2009.
	As part of this engagement, Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials drew up summaries of our actions, policy, humanitarian efforts and key ministerial statements on areas of concern to audiences. These were distributed widely across Whitehall and to our embassies and high commissions around the world. Research, Information and Communications Unit (RICU) also disseminated them to their network. The factsheet evolved as the crisis progressed and continues to be updated regularly. I will place a copy of the latest factsheet in the Library of the House.

Somaliland: Foreign Relations

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with representatives of Somaliland on that area's future status.

Gillian Merron: In December 2008, my noble Friend the Home Office Minister for Security and Counter Terrorism, Lord West of Spithead, met the Somaliland Foreign Affairs representative, Abdilahi Duale, during a visit to Ethiopia. In January 2008, the Minister of State for Africa, Asia and the UN, Lord Malloch-Brown, held discussions in London with the Leader of Somaliland, Dahir Rayale Kahin. My hon. Friend, the then Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Dr Kim Howells, met Dahir Rayale Kahin in the capital of Somaliland in June 2008.
	My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary met representatives of the Somaliland community in the UK when he visited Cardiff in October 2008.
	The Government considers dialogue with Somaliland representatives to be an important part of our overall engagement with Somalia.

Thailand: Aviation

Elliot Morley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the  (a) progress of and  (b) completion date of the inquiry in Thailand into the plane crash in Phuket in September 2007 to be completed.

Bill Rammell: According to the Director, Aviation Safety Standards of the Civil Aviation Department in Bangkok, the investigations into the cause of the One Two Go airline crash at Phuket airport on 16 September 2007 are ongoing. It is expected that the report will not be finalised and made public until May 2009 at the earliest.
	Our embassy in Bangkok is monitoring the progress of the investigation and we will alert the hon. Member and the families as soon as the report is made public.

Turks and Caicos Islands: Environment Protection

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what acreage of land in the Turks and Caicos Islands was designated an environmentally protected area in  (a) 2006,  (b) 2007 and  (c) 2008.

Gillian Merron: There are thirty-three protected areas in theTurks and Caicos Islands (TCI), in four categories: national parks, nature reserves, sanctuaries and sites of historic interest. We understand from the TCI Department for Environment and Coastal Resources that in 2006 there was a combined total area of some 78,335 hectares. They do not have figures for 2007 and 2008.

Venezuela: Anti-Semitism

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the attack on the Tiferet Israel Synagogue in Caracas on 30 January 2009; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: The attacks on Tiferet Israel Synagogue in Caracas are a significant concern. Reports we have received stated that the Synagogue was attacked by 15 to 20 armed men and women who ransacked and desecrated the building. They also broke into the administration area and stole computers containing databases.
	Our ambassador in Caracas has written to the Synagogue's Rabbi and to the Leader of the Jewish Community in Venezuela to express our sympathy and solidarity.
	We note the arrest of 11 people accused of the crime. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and encourage all to reject anti-Semitism as it is incompatible with democratic values.